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Age 8–13yrs
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Make
Time
Make time, even 5 minutes could help!
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Your child will benefit from you getting involved in their homework tasks.
If your son/daughter knows that you care they will be more likely to want
to do homework and hand it in on time.
You can encourage learning while you are out and about together, in the
car, shopping, eating meals and even in your local community.
It’s also a good idea to set a routine for homework (and stick
to it) – like after tea. It helps to know what homework your
child has and get a sense of how long it should take them.
There’s always something happening that you can
both talk and learn about!
Your
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Experiecn
ounts
Try and link life and leisure experience
to your child’s school work e.g. visits
to the park, museum or days out.
Remember your child will enjoy spending
time with you alone. Learning together
and sharing experiences will help your
relationship grow stronger. Your child
will enjoy learning about you and your
experiences, as well as doing new
things together.
Bonjour!
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Take an
Interest
Let them know you want to be involved.
Make time to ask your child about what they are studying
and what they have learned. Another great way to show
you are interested is to attend school activities such as
parents’ evenings and sport events.
There are lots of ways you can help your child
with their homework, especially if they get stuck.
Have a chat about what they did last time
it happened and what you could do to help,
or where you could both look for help.
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Let them know you’re there to help.
Help your child to use resources that are
available to them such as the local library,
the Internet or books. Talk about
school and learning activities in family
conversations and make sure – that if they
need help they know they can ask you to
give them a hand.
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Northenders
Use TV programmes as prompts for
discussion and learning, e.g. popular
soaps and soap characters’ lives could
provide topics for discussion.
Make sure TV time is a set time and that it does not get in
the way of study time. Make TV a treat for progress rather
than a background feature.
Distractions
Help your child concentrate by creating the
best learning environment, e.g. take
the dog out of the room or turn
the volume down on the TV.
Provide an area that is light and fairly quiet.
It doesn’t have to be fancy – the kitchen table,
a space in their bedroom or a corner of the
living room will be fine, as long as homework
is given priority and they are not interrupted.
VOL
click
TIP
Have a
look
Check to see how your
child is getting on with
their homework.
By seeing their progress you will find out if they
need any more help or encouragement.
When they’ve finished, have a look and see
how well they’ve done with their work.
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Give
Go to
school!
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Let them know they’re doing
a good job!
Let your child know that you are pleased with their
progress. Help them to make activities and
learning tasks feel more achievable by showing
them just how much they have already achieved.
Remember – you can show them how not giving
up and hard work can lead to success.
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Talk with your child’s
teachers – they will be
pleased that you want
to get involved.
Nice
work!
Nice to
meet you!
Let them know that you are keen to help your
child with their study and that you want to get
involved in their learning experiences.
You could ask them questions about:
• How your child is doing at school
• What they might be struggling with
• How you can help your child
• What your child’s behaviour is like at school
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Reward
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Set goals and provide treats for achievements.
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Let your child know that you are there to
encourage and support them to learn. Let
them know that they are making good
progress and that you are pleased with
their efforts. Help them to try new
experiences and get the most out
of their time at school.
You’re
not alone
Supporting your child to do homework
might sometimes feel confusing and hard.
Don’t worry, there are lots of resources,
websites and helplines that you can use
to make the task easier.
Here are just a few:
•
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www.bbc.co.uk/learning
www.bbc.co.uk/schools
www.channel4learning.com
www.dads-space.com
www.direct.gov.uk/curriculum
www.direct.gov.uk/en/educationandlearning
www.direct.gov.uk/kids
www.fostering.org.uk
www.netmums.com
www.nextgenerationlearning.org.uk/At-Home
www.parentchannel.tv
www.parentlineplus.org.uk
This is by no means an exhaustive list
and has been produced to offer
a flavour of the types of websites
available.
Your school may have other
resources available for you to use,
or you could get them from their
website. You could also ask other
parents and family members for
support and advice on helping your
son or daughter with their learning.
DCSF cannot be held responsible for any existing or
future content on any of the websites listed to the left.
To print off copies of this document
and other resources please visit:
www.direct.gov.uk/homeworksupport
© Crown copyright March 2010
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Have agreed set times for
playing games, watching TV
and leisure
• Set a time for homework at the
same time each day
• When your child has finished their homework, agree time to play
• Set play time as a reward
Let your child know how
you expect them to behave
and set clear boundaries
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• Set rules for when homework takes place,
how long it will take and when you will
check it
• Ask them if there is anything they are
worried or upset about
Provide structure
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page 1
• Set daily routines for homework, going out,
bedtime and meals, so that your child will
know when they have time for themselves
• If your child doesn’t have homework,
encourage them to read or give them
a problem to solve so they stay in the
homework routine
© Crown copyright March 2010
...why n
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If this happens...ot try this?
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Your child is more likely
to succeed when you,
your family and your
child’s teachers expect
them to do their very best
• Remind them how important learning is.
Ask them what job they want to do when
they get older
• Tell them that they make you feel proud
Work with your child’s
teachers, school and other
family members to agree
expectations for learning,
studying and behaviour
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• Ask them what homework they have and
ask to see it when they’ve done it
• Agree a time when they can do the things
they want to do
KEEP
OUT!
Make sure that your
expectations and goals are
right for your child’s age
and maturity
• If your child gets stuck with homework give
them suggestions for problem solving
• Talk to your child’s teachers about how much
homework your child is expected to do
To print off copies of this document and other resources please visit:
www.direct.gov.uk/homeworksupport
page 2
page 4
page 1
Making contact
It is important to have good relationships
with your child’s teachers
The best way to build a relationship is to start by making contact with them
and introducing yourself.
Having a friendly relationship can benefit your child at home and at school.
Parents/carers can help identify certain behaviours that are happening at school
but not at home and vice versa. They can also help teachers identify children’s
strengths, weaknesses and personality, which can help the teacher deliver their
teaching to best suit the child's needs.
Tips
How to build a relationship with
your child’s teachers
• Let the teacher know your child’s
likes, dislikes and strengths
• Tell the teacher of any special help
your child may need
• Write a note to school and attach it
to their homework book to tell the
teacher if your child enjoyed it or
found it difficult
• Ask the teacher how you can best
help your child at home with their
learning
• Go to parent-teacher evenings
and other school events
• Let the school know about any
changes in your home life which
may make a difference to your
child’s learning. This information
will be treated confidentially
• Let the teacher know when you
can see that your child is doing well.
You can write to them, send a note
or email if you want to
• Contact the teacher if you think your
child is having problems at school
To find out more about the National Curriculum,
visit www.direct.gov.uk/curriculum
To print off copies of this document and other resources please visit:
www.direct.gov.uk/homeworksupport
© Crown copyright March 2010
So
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So what happens at school ?
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What happens
at school?
The Nattiional Curriculum
The word ‘curriculum’ refers to the subjects your
child will study at school
The National Curriculum was developed to make sure all pupils have a balanced
education. It contains all of the subjects to be covered and details what topics
should be taught in schools. It also shows the standards or levels expected by
pupils at age 7, 11 and 14.
All pupils aged 5–16 studying in state schools must follow the National Curriculum.
It currently consists of the following:
Three core subjects – English, Mathematics and Science
Nine foundation subjects – Design and Technology (DT), Information and
Communication Technology (ICT), History, Geography, Art and Design, Music,
Physical Education (PE), Modern Foreign Languages (Key Stage 3 only) and
Citizenship (Key Stages 3 and 4 only)
Religious Education (RE), taught according to each local syllabus. You may
choose to withdraw your children from these sessions
page 2
page 3
So what happens at school ?
Attainment Levels
Key Stages
The National Curriculum divides subjects that
are taught into age groups called Key Stages
At every Key Stage pupils will study subjects in the National Curriculum.
The Key Stages are as follows:
Early Years Foundation Stage
Ages: 3 to 5 years
Year Groups: Pre-school to end of Reception Year
Key Stage
1
2
Ages: 7 to 11 years
Year Groups: Year 3 to Year 6
3
Key Stage
Ages: 11 to 14 years
Year Groups: Year 7 to Year 9
Key Stage
4
Ages: 14 to 16 years
Year Groups: Year 10 to Year 11
These are called the Attainment Levels and they are numbered 1–8. Your child’s
teachers will be checking that your child is able to reach the Attainment Levels that
are expected of them at each Key Stage in their learning.
The expected Attainment Level for children at the end of each Key Stage is as follows:
Key Stage
Ages: 5 to 7 years
Year Groups: Year 1 to Year 2
Key Stage
At the end of each Key Stage, children are expected
to reach certain levels of knowledge, skills and
understanding in each subject
1
Most children are expected to work between levels 1 to 3. By the end of year 2
children are expected to be working to at least level 2 (at age 7).
Key Stage
2
Most children are expected to work between levels 2 to 5. By the end of year 6
children are expected to be working to at least level 4 (at age 11).
Key Stage
3
Most children are expected to work between levels 3 to 7. By the end of year 9
children are expected to be working to at least level 5 or 6 (at age 14).
If children are working a long way above or below the expected level, the school
must provide extra support. Your child’s teachers will be able to let you know how
your child is doing and will be able to offer support and advice around any questions
or worries that you may have.
Talk to your child about where they think they are in their Key Stage attainment.
See what their teacher has suggested for the next step.
The reports you get from the school will show the level your child is currently
achieving and may also show a letter (a, b or c) where ‘a’ is at the top of the level.
© Crown copyright March 2010